West Palm Beach, FL – “An Amazing experience – hands-down one of the best of my professional career.” These were the sentiments of one aftermarket professional who, along with 24 industry peers, completed the 2008-09 University of the Aftermarket Leadership 2.0 program April 18 on the Florida campus of Northwood University. The outgoing class, representing virtually every level of the aftermarket value chain, finished the second of two intensive weeklong on-campus sessions before receiving certificates of completion and returning to their jobs.
Leadership 2.0 is the aftermarket industry’s cornerstone executive development program for manufacturer, distributor, retail, association, program group and service dealer professionals.
“In a word, this year’s class – and the overall Leadership 2.0 experience – were phenomenal,” said Brian Cruickshank, AAP, director of the University of the Aftermarket. “The intensity of our discussions, the dedication and creativity exhibited in the team projects, and the formal and informal teambuilding activities were extremely valuable in helping participants embrace their roles in driving the growth of our industry.”
The 2008-09 Leadership 2.0 graduates are:
Jon Anderson Auto Parts Headquarters/Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance
Margaret Beck MEMA
Mirela Beecham Federal-Mogul
Paul Berger ExxonMobil
David Boer Dorman Products, Inc.
Richard Bowen ExxonMobil
Nathan Breunig Diesel Injection Service, Inc.
Leslie Cibor TRICO Products
Lisa Emmert Advance Auto Parts
Dan Hayes Full Service Auto Parts/National Pronto
Sue Kalish AAIA
David Lambert Tenneco Inc.
Aaron Lowe AAIA
David Manor TRICO Products
Jim Muse Finish Master
James O’Neill Chino Autotech, Inc.
John Perrin Tenneco Inc.
Mark Phillips Babcox/Counterman Magazine
Ann Robinson NGK Spark Plugs USA
Chris Smyth Smyth Automotive/Automotive Distribution Network
Vic Tarasik Vic’s Precision Automotive
Chip Tietze J.C. Whitney
Clive Treharne Deb’s Auto Parts
Jonathan Van Dorn Robert Bosch LLC
Lloyd Wells Ridge and Kramer Auto Parts/Federated Auto Parts
Among the final week’s activities were presentations by Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association President and CEO Kathleen Schmatz, MAAP, and University of the Aftermarket Foundation Executive Director David Caracci. Participants also studied a variety of industry challenges and spent hours each day sharing ideas for achieving increased competitiveness in today’s challenging, fast-paced business environment.
“I have been to several leadership courses over time, but Leadership 2.0 clearly stands out from the crowd,” said David Lambert, business planning and analysis manager, North American aftermarket, Tenneco Inc. “The chance to work and share ideas with your competitors and customers is absolutely invaluable. I’m not sure that opportunity exists in any other industry – can you imagine Google and Microsoft working side-by-side like our group did?”
Plans are already well under way for the 2009-10 Leadership 2.0 class, which will assemble for its first weeklong session Sept. 20-25, 2009, on the Northwood University campus in Midland, MI, and conclude following four-and-a-half days on the Northwood campus in West Palm Beach, FL, April 11-16, 2010.
For more information and to reserve a spot in the 2009-10 Leadership 2.0 class, please visit www.northwood.edu/aftermarket http://www.northwood.edu/aftermarket or call 1-800-551-2882.
About the University of the Aftermarket
The University of the Aftermarket is an educational alliance of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association and is an operating unit of Northwood University. The University of the Aftermarket provides business, management and leadership education to professionals in the motor vehicle aftermarket through on-line, custom, conference, and partnership educational opportunities. Through these programs, the University awards CEU credit that can be applied toward completion of the aftermarket’s Automotive Aftermarket Professional (AAP) or Master Automotive Aftermarket Professional (MAAP) certifications.
